


run boy run

by capomerica



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Bisexual Beverly Marsh, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M, Minor Bill Denbrough/Beverly Marsh, Stanley Uris Knows All
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capomerica/pseuds/capomerica
Summary: There was something wrong about Derry.Not that there was ever anything right about Derry, Richie Tozier knew that for sure. If his fourteen years of adolescence had taught him something, it would be that Derry had issues. Lots of issues.But there was something especially wrong about Derry.-In which Richie Tozier goes through four years of high school and learns about third wheeling, homosexuality, girlfriends, weed, sex, losing friendships, growing up, and more than his fair share of adolescent trauma.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 21





	run boy run

There was something wrong about Derry.

Not that there was ever anything right about Derry, Richie Tozier knew that for sure. If his fourteen years of adolescence had taught him something, it would be that Derry had issues. Lots of issues.

But there was something especially wrong about Derry.

Richie didn’t know what it was, he had no idea at all. His memories were hazy, summers of scars and silver bicycles. He remembered Eddie breaking his arm, he remembered Bev moving away, he remembered a laugh. A stupid scary laugh. A laugh that he only heard when his nightmares were the worst. A laugh. But that was it.

Something was wrong about Derry, but Richie had no idea what.

The fourteen year old was about to go into his freshman year at Derry High, and as Richie sat by his window, thinking about what the hell was up with the town he lived in, he couldn’t help feeling restless.

Richie slid his window open, turning to allow himself to carefully climb out the window. His converse had zero grip, but he managed to do it, holding tightly to the bricks on the side of his house.

He dropped to the ground, wincing as he felt the jolt through his knees. Richie prayed to god that his parents hadn’t heard the fall, he didn’t want to deal with questions about where he was going or what he was doing. 

He ran over to his red bike, laying on it’s side in the middle of his driveway. The bike was dirty and rusted, with bent handlebars from the time his dad had accidentally run it over. Despite the problems, the bike was still usable enough, and Richie picked it up, easily swinging a leg over.

He began peddling, his knees hitting the handle bars over and over, trying to tilt them in an attempt to protect the already bruised bones. The bike was old, since he was at least eleven, and Richie’s growth spurt that past summer gave no help. He had shot up at least four inches, standing at a respectable five foot seven.

He flew through the dark streets, no cars to be seen. Although he hadn’t checked the time, he was certain it was past midnight, otherwise there would be teenagers running, trying to get in before their curfew. 

Derry was a small town, which meant midnight was a pretty common curfew for every teen that lived there. Any later and chances were that they wouldn’t be found the morning after. Especially in Derry. 

Richie gripped his handlebars tighter, standing as he zipped around a corner. He grinned down at the playing cards, stuck in between the stokes of the wheels, loud snaps popping up every turn of the wheel.

He knew the route he was going by heart, having gone down it many times - both day and night. The streets began to get nicer, although in Derry that barely meant anything, but at least there were fewer cigarettes on the ground than normal. The thought of smoking had Richie habitually moving his free hand to his pocket, although none were there. He had originally been planning on sleeping that evening, before the night had taken its toll on his mind. 

Richie was nearing his destination, and steadied his bike before flinging both his hands into the air. His bike hurtled forward, flying down the open streets towards the dead end. He continued forward, head tilted up as he looked towards the night sky, palms facing the open air, a crooked grin making its way onto his face. 

As his bike began wobbling once more, his hands quickly made their way back onto the handlebars. Richie slowed his bike, counting the houses as he got to the one he wanted. He turned into a driveway, dropping his feet down as he flung himself off the bike. 

The smooth landing he had initially planned was not to be, tripping quickly and scraping his knees against the concrete. Richie winced, glancing down at his - not only bruised, but bleeding - knees. The person he was visiting was not going to like that.

He ignored it, the pain was easy. The scraping of knees was children’s pain, giving him memories of the summer, and ones previous, and adventures he spent with his friends. Every child knew the pain, and had at one time or another ignored it as well.

Richie made his way to the back of the house, where a shed was placed below a window. He knew what he was doing at that point, and scrambled over, grabbing the roof of the shed. He managed to pull himself up, wriggling his body somehow onto the roof. Standing from there, he stepped onto the actual roof of the house, moving carefully with his arms out to his sides in an attempt to keep balance. Richie knocked on the window, sighing as he crouched down, trying to steady himself. 

The light inside the window suddenly turned on, and the window was wrenched open quickly - causing Richie surprise as he almost let go of the tile.

“God, Richie it’s one o’clock, and a school night too, couldn’t you have waited till morning!” A voice from inside the room began, shrill and familiar in every way to Richie. 

He crawled into the window and onto the desk below, moving his feet to sit on it, his legs dangling down. As he moved to close the window the voice began, just as loud and fast as it had before.

“And of course you’re bleeding, of course! Richie you’re going to get blood all over my carpet, do you even know how my mom will react in the morning?” 

Richie turned around, grinning as he came face to face with a short brunette in orange pyjamas, rummaging through his nightstand. Eddie Kaspbrak was one of Richie’s best friends, and the boy currently living in the bedroom he had just crawled into.

Eddie hadn’t stopped talking, and glanced back every once and again to continue, but Richie was really in a world of his own.

“Open wounds Richie! Open wounds, it could be tetanus, rabies, even AIDS! God Richie, I swear, you’re gonna infect me with whatever blood virus you’ve gotten now!” 

Richie glanced around the room, it had been one he had spent plenty of his summer in. While his dad was drinking, and his mom was gossiping with the other members of her book club, Richie had been running off to whoever’s house was open. 

He spent most of his time at Ben’s or Stan’s, Mike hated bringing his friends to the farm, Bill’s family preferred to be alone, and as much as he loved Eddie’s mother, she sadly did not love him in return. His love for her was unrequited as it seemed, a fact he would never be able to live with. 

“And then you would be out for months, maybe even years! Richie! Richie are you even listening?” Eddie questioned, as Richie was brought back to the present. Eddie had an entire medical kit out on his bed at that point, gauze, bandaids, even a needle and thread - although if Eddie tried to use that, Richie would start running.

“Sorry Ed’s, I was busy thinking about how long me and Sonia are gonna go after this,” Richie offered, flashing his friend a grin. Eddie’s face screwed up, probably disgusted at even the idea, a fact which only encouraged Richie to continue.

“Shut the fuck up Richie.” Eddie stated, ripping open a small square he had. Rather aggressively, Richie noticed, and as the glare grew stronger, he realized that it was probably pointed at himself. “And don’t call me Ed’s!” 

Richie shrugged, zoning out again at that point. Now Richie got distracted easily, he knew that much, but unfortunately for Eddie, it was far more than normal that day. It really wasn’t his fault, some guy gave him a blunt for ten dollars that he and Bill had shared. He’d never done it before, he had figured it would be fun, and yet here he was, still awake and at Eddie’s house the day before freshman year began.

“Aw fuck!” Richie exclaimed as stinging shot up his leg. Eddie was holding a white square with some sort of cleanser on it to his knee, rubbing it intensely. Richie didn’t need that, at all, but it was one o’ clock and he was high out of his mind, so he figured he’d humour Eddie - just a little bit.

“Richie, why are you here anyway?” Eddie asked, from where he was on his knees. Richie really wanted to comment on it, he really did, but he knew well enough not to test Eddie’s patience at this time of night. He may’ve been a Trashmouth, but he had some smarts. 

“What? I’m not allowed to visit my wittle Eddie Spaghetti anymore?” Richie asked, pursing his lips at him. Eddie scowled, pushing the wipe into Richie’s knee even harder.

“Ow! Okay shit sorry!” Richie said, pulling his knee away from where Eddie was, allowing Eddie to move back onto his bed. “Listen, I couldn’t sleep, okay?”

Richie jumped off the desk, moving to sit onto the bed next to Richie. After a moment of silence - which Richie didn’t like one bit - he flung his legs onto Eddie’s lap, to his friends’ chagrin.

“Richie that’s disgusting! This is my bed take your shoes off I don’t even want to think about where they’ve been!” Eddie exclaimed, shoving Richie’s legs roughly off his lap. Richie pouted, wiggling his feet until the converse eventually fell off. He never tied them, and although they caused plenty of falls, they slid off easily.

“Well Eddiekins, is this better?” Richie asked in a low voice, sticking his foot directly in Eddie’s face, them proceeding to wiggle his toes. 

Eddie scooted away, making a face at Richie. “Well what do you want me to do now? You can’t stay over, if my mum finds you in the morning there’s gonna be screaming.”

“Oh Eddie,” Richie said, shaking his head, “I’ve heard your mum’s screaming plenty of times - if you know what I mean,” Richie said, thrusting his pelvis into the air suggestively. “Oh Richie, oh yeah!” He said in a high pitched voice, that sounded absolutely nothing like Eddie’s mother’s.  
Richie couldn’t help grinning when he noticed the flush on Eddie’s neck.

“Beep beep Richie!” Eddie said, while kicking into Richie’s side sharply. Richie groaned, clutching his side as he rolled around dramatically.

“You’re just jealous of our love Edward.” Richie said, shaking his head. 

“Never in a million years Richard.” Eddie responded, sticking his tongue out.  
“Oh, so you don’t mind me penetrating your mother every ni-”

Richie’s thought was cut off by another well-timed kick to the ribs.


End file.
